Painful varicose veins in legs

Introduction to painful varicose veins

Varicose veins are veins that usually appear on the legs that are swollen and irregular in shape. They also protrude from the skin and have a blue or purple color to them.

They can also be very painful and on top of the pain, they are very unsightly and can make a person feel self-conscious about the way their legs look.

It occurs more in women than in men and up to 80 % of women over 60 years of age face this problem.

It has been proven that menopause and pregnancies increase the chance of developing varicose veins, which is why so many older women suffer from the condition.

With age, the valves and walls of the veins become thin and are no longer as elastic as they used to be. Elastic and collage in the vein wall is destroyed with age.

When this occurs, the veins weaken and they can no longer hold back blood, which makes it stagnate in the vein and causes the veins to become swollen.

The discoloration often occurs from blood leaking from the varicose veins and depositing itself under the skin. Not only is discoloration present, but dry and flaky skin also results at times, which is referred to as varicose eczema.

Treatment

Usually, people who really want to see the varicose veins disappear will chose surgery as their route of treatment. However, it must be made clear that surgery is not 100 percent foolproof and that in three out of ten cases, the varicose veins will come back after surgery.

Varicose veins can be treated with laser surgery, but they can also be treated by another method called scleotherapy, which is a method in which chemicals are injected into the veins that will force the veins to fall apart, which in turn makes the blood begin to flow through the healthy veins. When the varicose veins are small, then liquid chemicals are used to treat, but when they are large, the procedure is done with foam, which is able to be injected into a larger region of varicose veins and successfully get rid of them.

These injections can be very painful and they might have to be repeated several times before any real effects can be noticed.

In the worst-case scenario, the doctor will recommend a surgical removal of the entire vein.

The best way to prevent varicose veins is to avoid wearing uncomfortable shoes and socks, keep the legs elevated whenever possible, and loss excess weight that is putting pressure on the legs as you walk and move about during the day.